Rubber Ducky deflated after winds batter it in Wilmington

The 10-foot-tall baby duck will be at Banning's Landing in Wilmington from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday for photos with kids following the cancellation of the giant duck's scheduled appearances due to wind issues.

Harbor winds at Banning’s Landing on Wilmington’s waterfront proved too much for the popular giant Rubber Ducky that was slated to be moored there Thursday and Friday for special youth and community events.

“It was starting to get damaged and blown around, so the folks from Draw Events (which owns the attraction) came out and deflated it to prevent any further damage,” said Port of Los Angeles spokesman Phillip Sanfield. “Our plan is not to reinflate it (Friday) because the winds are supposed to be about the same. The way Banning’s Landing is positioned in the channel, there’s no protection from the wind gusts and it was really doing a number on it.”

“Oh no,” said Dan Hoffman, executive director of the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce when told the news. “I was planning to take my wife and mother-in-law out to see it tonight.”

Cecilia McKenzie, director of Banning’s Landing, said many residents would be disappointed.

“That’s too bad, a lot of people have been calling,” she said late Thursday, adding that the duck was still in the harbor but “looks kind of flopped over.”

“Bummer,” said Donna Ethington of Wilmington. She planned to go see the duck Friday.

But all is not lost. The 10-foot tall baby duck will be hauled out of the water and placed on the dock next to Banning’s Landing, where it will be available for photos with children from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.

In an unrelated deflation incident in San Pedro on Wednesday, the duck’s air coil became kinked, causing the duck to list to the side before it could be pumped up again.

The giant duck’s public appearance schedule will be dark throughout the three-day Labor Day weekend but it return Tuesday to the Downtown Harbor in San Pedro, where it will remain until Sept. 6.